“His love of great adventure, new friends, fine food and drink and the remarkable stories of the world made him a unique storyteller. His talents never ceased to amaze us and we will miss him very much. Our thoughts and prayers are with his daughter and family at this incredibly difficult time.”

Bourdain’s love of food took him all around the world. Picture: SuppliedSource:SBSSource:Whimn

Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food. Remember that help is a phone call away US:1-800-273-TALK UK: 116 123

On the network, anchors struggled to hold back tears as they recalled their late colleague in heartfelt recollections and urged people faced with despair or who know people who are struggling with depression to call a suicide hotline.

Bourdain’s girlfriend, Italian actress Asia Argento, posted a heartwrenching tribute to her love on social media, saying she is “beyond devastated”. The pair had been dating since early 2017.

But despite his busy schedule, Bourdain always made sure to carve out five days a month to spend time with his 11-year-old daughter Ariane, who lives with his ex-wife Ottavia Busia in Manhattan.

“I’ll go back, see my daughter, unpack, repack, mimic a normal life, which is extraordinarily pleasurable to me,” he said.

He opened up about the birth of his only child making him feel like he had “some responsibility” to “at least try to live.”

“I also do feel I have things to live for,” he told the magazine.

“There have been times, honestly, in my life that I figured, ‘I’ve had a good run — why not just do this stupid thing, this selfish thing … jump off a cliff into water of indeterminate depth,’” he said, recalling something he’d once done for his show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

But he also described himself to People as being “happy in ways that I have not been in memory” and “happy in ways I didn’t think I ever would be, for sure.”

Bourdain dropped out of Vassar College after two years to pursue a career in the culinary world. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America he went on to work in various restaurant kitchens including One Fifth Avenue and Sullivan’s. His big break came when he was appointed executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in 1998.

A year later, Bourdain’s celebrity grew when the New Yorker published his now-famous Don’t Eat Before Reading This, an article which exposed the inner workings of restaurant kitchens.

Capitalising on the interest in his expose, Bourdain released the nonfiction bestseller Kitchen Confidential in 2000 which made him a household name. His other books include the novels Bone in the Throat and A Cook’s Tour.

Anthony Bourdain in a scene from Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations: Leftovers. Picture: SuppliedSource:SuppliedSource:Whimn

Bourdain married his high school girlfriend Nancy Putkoski in 1985. They divorced in 2005. Two years later, he married MMA fighter Ottavia Busia, welcoming a daughter, Ariane, that same year.

Bourdain and Busia divorced in 2016. He began dating Italian actress Asia Argento in 2017 after meeting her while he was in Rome filming for Parts Unknown.

He is survived by his daughter Ariane.

Bourdain and #metoo

Bourdain has been an outspoken supporter of the #MeToo Movement since Asia Argento accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault in October.

“I am proud and honored to know you. You just did the hardest thing in the world,” Bourdain tweeted at Argento after Ronan Farrow’s scathing expose about Weinstein was published in the New Yorker.

In an in-depth interview with the Daily Beast in April, Bourdain admitted that he had been reluctant to speak out about the movement changing the entertainment industry, explaining that he didn’t want to steal the spotlight away from the women the movement is about.

“It’s something I’m very aware of when I hear myself talking about it — it makes me very uneasy,” he told the publication.

“These are not my stories, so I feel that every time I’m talking about it I’m taking up space that should be rightfully taken by a woman. It’s a fine line for me. I don’t particularly enjoy talking about it. But if you ask me, I’ll tell ya.”